Multi-user media delivery system for synchronizing content on multiple media players

ABSTRACT

An interactive, multi-user media delivery system having a number of media storage mediums, each of containing a particular media selection, and a number of media players structured to selectively deliver the media selection to users. Each of the media players includes a control assembly structured to selectively control and regulate delivery of the media selection to the user, and at least one of the media players is selectively designatable as a slave unit. A master control assembly is further provided and is operatively associated with the media players, a connectivity assembly being included to establish a communicative link at least between the slave unit(s) and the master control assembly. The master control assembly is further structured to receive synchronization data from each of the media players, and to simultaneously and uniformly control the delivery of the media selection by the media players.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS

This application is a Continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.14/460,524, filed Aug. 15, 2014, which is a Divisional of U.S.application Ser. No. 12/780,236, filed May 14, 2010 (now U.S. Pat. No.8,838,693), which is a Continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.12/771,004, filed Apr. 30, 2010 (now U.S. Pat. No. 8,396,931), which isa Continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/997,477, filed Nov. 20,2001 (now U.S. Pat. No. 7,711,774), all of which are incorporated hereinby reference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure relates to an interactive multi-user mediadelivery system which can be effectively employed with any conventionalmedia type disposed on a corresponding storage medium, so as to providesubstantially enhanced receipt of the media content and multi-userinteractivity between one or more simultaneous recipients of the mediaselection. The present interactive multi-user media delivery system doesnot require any special programming and/or authorization on the storagemedium and the media selection contained thereon, but rather operates toeffectively allow an interactive multi-user viewing experience that canbe managed directly and independently by individual users, and/ormanaged by a remote organizational concern such as a teacher, meetingorganizer, movie studio, production company, advertiser, sponsor, etc.

In entertainment and information related industries, informationaland/or entertainment media are provided to users in a variety ofconventional and advancing formats. Despite the availability of varioustypes of media content utilizing transmission networks, such asbroadcast, cable, satellite, fiber optic, Internet, etc., due toconvenience, file size and/or copyright issues, a still very popularform for the delivery of media to a user is through the use of portablestorage mediums that can be easily transported, owned by an individual,shared, rented, and/or mass produced for distribution and/or sale to alarge number of users.

These various types of distributable media may include audio only media,such as on CD ROMS, conventional CDs, cassette tapes, floppy discs,digital storage chips, portable devices, and/or other storage devices,or can include audio-visual media, storable on similar types of portablestorage medium as well as video cassettes, DVD's, video CD's and chippedbased digital storage devices. Furthermore, each individual storagemedium may include one or more particular media selection which are tobe made available to the users utilizing a conventional play backdevice. As can be appreciated, the sale, rental and/or promotionaldistribution of content utilizing such portable storage medium is a verysignificant aspect of commerce.

Despite the benefits of being able to receive and enjoy media contentindependently, such as in a user's own home, one draw back associatedwith the utilization of a compact portable storage medium, may be thediminishment of group interaction and/or utilization of the mediacontent. For example, in the entertainment industry it is widelyrecognized that when a group is able to view programming, such as aparticular motion picture, together as a group, the viewing experienceis often enhanced as the group may “feed off of one another” inresponding to the media content. As a result, as technology changes andadvances, and the sale and/or rental for home use of media content, suchas motion pictures becomes an ever increasing and important part of theentertainment industry, this group interaction is sacrificed.Accordingly, there is a substantial need in the art for a media deliverysystem which will not interfere with a user's normal utilization andaccess to varying types of media content, but which will also allow anumber of users to have an interactive and common media experience,whether it is independently initiated by users or sponsored by aninterested party. Furthermore, such a system should permit uniformsimultaneous viewing and control of any conventionally available, and/orto be developed media type and medium storage and play back system. Forexample, it is recognized, that a very large number of storage mediumshave already been sold and/or distributed, and as such, the systemshould allow effective interaction and multi-user experiences with theconventionally programmed and/or configured storage mediums as well.

In addition to a large scale, multi-user viewing experience, it wouldalso be beneficial to provide an easy to implement multi-user system sothat as little as two users can enjoy a common media experience. AS canbe appreciated, such a system would have a number of beneficial uses,including use by distant relatives to view home movies or a specialmovie selection together, or by friends and neighbors to have aninteractive, group viewing experience without having to leave theirhomes. Moreover, such a system should preferably do more than merelyallow simultaneous viewing, but should also allow interaction betweenthe various users at remote locations.

In addition to the entertainment applications, it would also bebeneficial to provide an interactive multi-user media delivery systemwhich can be effectively utilized as an informational tool, whether inbusiness or in the education industry. Specifically, it would beadvantageous to provide a controllable information disseminationexperience to any number of users and/or a number of locations withoutrequiring special programming or encoding in the information itself. Asa result, a large number of users can truly experience a simultaneousand interactive distribution of the information, be it a presentation,instructional materials, etc. Further, such a system should also providea degree of interactivity between the varied users so as to eliminatethe disadvantages of the isolating viewing scenario that must currentlybe experienced by viewers at different remote locations.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure relates to an interactive multi user mediadelivery system. The media delivery system preferably includes at leasttwo media storage mediums, each of which may contain at least aparticular media selection. Furthermore, at least two media playerscapable of receiving and effectively delivering the media selection to auser from the storage mediums are also provided. Naturally, the deliverymode of the media may correspond to the type of media being delivered,such as using a video monitor for video and/or audio-video media, and/orspeakers. Moreover, each of the media players includes a controlassembly that selectively controls and regulates the delivery of themedia selection to the user in a conventional manner, such as via thevideo monitor and/or audio monitor.

Within the context of the present media delivery system, at least one ofthe media players is preferable designatable as a slave a unit.Moreover, a master control assembly is further provided, and isoperatively associated with the media players, and at least the slavemedia players, so as to effectively regulate and/or control the deliveryof the media selection by each slave media player. The master controlassembly may be configured to provide control inputs similar to those ofthe control assembly of the media players, and/or may provide additionalcontrol functions.

The master control assembly is preferably communicatively associatedwith at least the slave unit(s) via a connectivity assembly.Specifically, the connectivity assembly is structured to establish acommunicative link at least between the slave unit(s) and the mastercontrol assembly for a preferred, although not required, two waytransmission of information. Additionally, the master control assemblymay be structured to receive synchronization data from each of the mediaplayers, such as by the connectivity assembly, and to accordinglysimultaneously and uniformly control delivery of the media selection bythe media players. Indeed, this simultaneous and uniform delivery of themedia selection is achieved without requiring any specialized and/orspecific programming on the media storage medium.

These and other features and advantages of the present disclosure willbecome more clear when the drawings as well as the detailed descriptionare taken into consideration.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a fuller understanding of the nature of the present disclosure,reference should be had to the following detailed description taken inconnection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of one embodiment of theinteractive, multi-user media delivery system of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of another embodiment presentdisclosure;

FIG. 3 is an illustration of one monitor assembly utilized inconjunction with a media player of the delivery system of the presentdisclosure, the monitor, including one embodiment of the messagingdisplay of the communication shell;

FIG. 4 is an illustration of an alternative embodiment of the messagingdisplay of the communication shell; and

FIG. 5 is a schematic representation of an embodiment of the enhancedmedia player of the present disclosure.

Like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the several viewsof the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present disclosure is directed towards an interactive, multi user,media delivery system, generally indicating as 10, and more specificallywith a media player 15 configured for integration within the mediadelivery system 10 of the present disclosure. In particular, the mediadelivery system 10 of the present includes at least two but preferably aplurality of media players 15, 15′. The media players 15, 15′ may bemaintained and operated by users in a variety of locations which may belocal or remote from one another. Furthermore, each of the media players15, 15′ is preferably configured to deliver a media selection to a userfrom a media storage medium 12 to be associated therewith. Specifically,the media players 15, 15′ are preferably structured to deliver a mediaselection to a user, and may be structured to deliver any of a numberconventionally available media types and formats. As such, the mediaplayers 15, 15′ of the present disclosure may include an input assembly17 to receive the storage medium 12 and a delivery assembly 23 thatincludes a media decoder 24 to deliver the corresponding type of mediaselection from the storage medium and a control assembly 20 whichcontrols the delivery of the media selection as facilitated by an outputassembly 19. Accordingly the delivery assembly may include or integratevideo tape play back units, DVD play back systems, compact disk ordigital music playback systems, such as MP3 players, video CD play backsystems and/or digital memory stick, hard disk storage systems, personal(digital) video recorders or chip based play back systems. Further, themedia players may be multi-media capable, such as in the form of apersonal computer with media capabilities, combined DVD/MP3/Video CDplayer, etc. To this end, it is also recognized that although notnecessary, it may be preferred that the media players be associated withdigital media contained on media storage mediums 12 to be associatedtherewith. Further, each media player 15, 15′ should have their ownmedia storage medium 12 containing a corresponding media selection forplayback, thus promoting the protection of copyright laws and requiringeach user purchase or rent their own lawful copy. Moreover, it may alsobe seen that utilizing the system of the present disclosure, as will bedescribed, an identifier for each media selection may also becommunicated to a central authority so as to verify that an unauthorizedcopy is not being used. As such, users have incentive to purchase orobtain authorized copies of a media selection if they which toparticipate in the interactive experience available utilizing thepresent disclosure. Furthermore, although any desired type of encodingand/or programming may be made directly on the storage medium 12 orwithin the media selection, the storage mediums 12 may be structured inany conventional fashion useable on any corresponding device and do notrequire specialize encoding other than that normally required to achieveconventional utilization. Also, although not required, it is preferredthat each storage medium 12 preferably includes a substantiallyidentical or uniform copy of a particular media selection to bedelivered utilizing the present system. Still, however, the mediaplayers 15, 15′ need not be dedicated exclusively for the multi-usermedia delivery system 10 of the present disclosure, but rather they mayalso be configured for independent, relatively conventional utilization.

Each of the media players 15, 15′ preferably includes a control assembly20, 20′. The control assembly 20, 20′ is incorporated so as toeffectively regulate and control the delivery of the media selection tothe user, such as via an associated monitor 16 for the purposes of anaudio-video medium, or merely by way of an audio monitor in the case ofa purely audio media selection. Along these lines, the control assemblymay include such features as play, pause, rewind, fast forward and/orany other appropriate and/or desirable control functions which caneffectively allow a user to regulate the delivery of the media selectionor access other components or aspects of a media selection, as in thecase of a DVD or CD.

The multi user media delivery system 10 of the present disclosurefurther includes a master control assembly. The master control assemblyis structured to substantially simultaneously and uniformly control thedelivery of the media selection by at least certain ones of the mediaplayers 15, 15′ that are to be associated with the delivery of aspecific media selection. To this end, the media selection is providedto a corresponding user of each active media player 15, 15′ in asubstantially synchronized, simultaneous and uniform fashion. As aresult, a uniform, and collective viewing experience can be achieved forall of the users. Examples of the application of the multi user mediadelivery system 10 of the present disclosure will be described ingreater detailed subsequently.

Looking first to the embodiment of FIG. 1, in one embodiment of themedia delivery system 10 of the present disclosure one or a plurality ofmedia players 15 are preferably designated, preferably selectivelyand/or temporarily, as slave unit(s). That is, the slave unit(s) areconfigured to be operated and/or controlled by the master controlassembly at least with regard to media delivery. Likewise, in theembodiment of FIG. 1, any or one of the media players 15′ may bedesignated as a master unit, its control assembly 20′ functioning atleast partially as the master control assembly which regulates andcontrols the delivery of the media by at least the slave media players15 but preferably slave media players 15 as well as the correspondingmaster player 15′. In this regard, it is recognized that at least oneslave media player 15 is designated, however, a virtually unlimitednumber of slave media players 15 may equivalently be provided andintegrated within the media delivery system 10 of the presentdisclosure. Likewise, it is recognized that a large number of mediaplayers 15 may be available for designation as slave media players for aparticular uniform viewing utilizing the media delivery system 10,however, not all may elect to participate and/or may be designated asslave media players 15 to be controlled by the master control assembly.Also, is recognized that although one media player 15′ is preferablydesignated to define the master control assembly 20′, designation as themaster control assembly 20′ may be shared by one or more media players,including the slave media players themselves, and/or may be switched ormoved from one media player to another. As a result, independent userscan organize and initiate a simultaneous delivery experience and canselectively share and/or give up control over the delivery. For example,any user or all users may be given master control assembly functionalityto pause, rewind, stop, etc., a media delivery for some media players orall participating media players.

Turning to FIG. 2, in an alternative embodiment of the presentdisclosure an independent remote computer processor 18, which may be ormay not be associated with a media player at all, may exclusively or ina shared manner include the master control assembly 22. In thisembodiment, it is at least the remote computer processor 18 whichdirects the operation of all slave media player 15. Also, in thisembodiment a particular user may elect to designate their media playeras a slave media player 15, or may elect to retain control and notparticipate in a simultaneous media delivery. Furthermore, as mentioned,the individual slave media players 15 may also retain a certain degreeof control over themselves, and/or may be allowed to act eithertemporarily or perpetually as the master control assembly either insteadof or in addition to the master control assembly 22 of the remotecomputer processor 18.

From the proceeding, it is seen that the multi user media deliverysystem 10 of the present disclosure, either in the embodiment of FIG. 1or FIG. 2 has a variety of uses and applications which willsubstantially enhance the delivery of media content by a media player ofthe present disclosure. One example of such a use of the multi usermedia delivery system 10 of the present disclosure may be for a specificmotion picture and/or other audio video media premier on a portablestorage medium 12 such as a DVD. In such a circumstance, users who areto participate in a simultaneous viewing of the DVD will have their ownparticular DVD as the storage medium 12 to be inserted at an appropriatetime into their media player 15, 15′ for effective viewing. At thatpoint in time, producers, distributors, talent, etc. of the DVDutilizing the remote computer processor 18 as the master controlassembly 22 and/or the utilization of a master player 15′ are able tocontrol and regulate a simultaneous viewing of the media selection by alarge audience for a synchronize premier. Indeed, it is also recognizedwithin such an application, a specially programmed DVD, such as providedwithin the system of U.S. Pat. No. 6,101,534, the contents of which arehereby incorporated by reference, may be provided such that the mastercontrol assembly can actually unlock content previously not available tothe user conventionally by the media player. As a result, a controlledpremier can be maintained with each individual user not being able toactually view the media selection in its entirety or at all unlessunlocked as part of the uniform delivery. Similarly, additional enhancedcontent may be provided to the user so as to further enhance thedelivery of the media selection, such as a directors cut, specialfeatures, etc. Of course, it is understood that the entertainmentindustry is not the only industry which could benefit from the multiuser media delivery system 10 of the present disclosure. Alternatively,in the business and educational field, corresponding storage medium 12can be delivered to one or a plurality of users, such as students orparticipants in a meeting at different offices, for placement into theirmedia players 15, 15′. Utilizing the master control assembly 20′, 22′ ameeting organizer, and/or any user as desired by the meeting organizer,may effectively control the simultaneous delivery of the mediaselection, which can be a presentation, proposal, meeting notes,educational materials, etc. Further, as will be described subsequently,the communicative interactivity which is also preferably provided aspart of the media delivery system 10 of the present disclosure providesa further enhanced degree of interactivity more than mere simultaneousreceipt of the media selection.

In order to effectively achieve interactivity and communication betweeneach of the various media players 15, 15′ and/or a remote computerprocessor 18, each of the media players further preferably includes aconnectivity assembly 30. The connectivity assembly 30 is configured soas to effectively provide communication between the media players 15,15′ and/or the remote computer processor 18, and as such may include acomputer control assembly, such as utilizing a computer network 15including the internet. In this regard, the connectivity assembly may bea specific dedicated connectivity assembly by which all media players15, 15′ and/or the remote computer processor assembly 18 can communicatein a dedicated fashion, and/or may include any conventional type ofInternet access or public connection which allows for effective datatransmission and input receipts to and from the media players 15, 15′.As such, a web enable media player 15, 15′ may be integrated into thepresent system so as to provide the connectivity assembly 30 desired.Also in some embodiments, a central server 52 may also be providedand/or maintained so as to achieve appropriate management of thecommunication between the respective media players 15, 15′ and/or remotecomputer processor 18. In this regard, the central server 52, utilizingfor example a computer network 50, is able to regulate traffic to andfrom the individual media players 15, 15′, and as will be describedsubsequently, may also regulate and/or control messaging and/orpromotional activity to be associated with the delivery of the mediaselection.

Looking in further detail to the central server assembly 52, it ispreferably structured to receive communicative inputs from media players15, 15′ and/or a remote computer processor 18, and to effectivelycommunicate them in an understandable fashion to all of the mediaplayers and/or remote computer processor 18. Indeed in this regard, thecentral server assembly 52 may include the remote computer processor 18that includes the master control assembly. Additionally, however, thecentral server assembly 52 is preferably, configured to act as a hub forthe effective, interactive, managed communication of messaging traffic,as will be described, and moreover, to interact with the communicationshell 60 associated with the messaging traffic, such as for the purposeof displaying promotional materials in conjunction with messagingtraffic. For example, a promotional materials may be viewed asadvertisements which may be displayed as part of the communication shell60, as will be described, thus providing an auxiliary source of incomein connection with the simultaneous and/or synchronized media delivery.As a result, the central server assembly 52 is structured to regulate,control and direct the delivery of promotional materials in connectionwith a play back control of the media players 15, 15′ and/or themessaging activity of the media players 15, 15′, the availability forthe delivery being provided in exchange for the service of makingavailable and/or managing the simultaneous media delivery and/ormessaging. Of course, a paid or free service could be provided to userswith or without additional promotional materials.

As indicated, the present disclosure also preferably includes amessaging assembly, generally 40. In particular, the messaging assembly40 is configured so as to allow effective communication between users ofthe various media players 15, 15′ and/or operators of the remotecomputer processor 18. The messaging assembly 40, which may bemanipulated and/or controlled through the central server assembly 52 orthrough a direct pier to pier communication, allows for the furtherenhancement of the simultaneous viewing experience by allowing the userof one particular media player to communicate with all or a select oneor group of other users utilizing other remotely located media players.Furthermore, the messaging assembly 40 is preferably configured tooperate while the media content is being delivered to the user utilizingthe media player, thus allowing a degree of real time interactivitybetween the media selection being presented and the various users.

The messaging assembly 40 of the present disclosure may be configured soas to provide audio messages, video messages, audio/video messagesand/or text messages between the various users. In this regard, amessaging interface 44 is preferably provided. The messaging interface44 preferably corresponds at least the type of interactive messagingcommunication that can be achieve utilizing a particular media player.As such, the messaging interface 44 may include a keyboard, mouse, videocamera, pointer, remote control unit, voice recognition module,microphone and/or any other type of communication interface. As such, amessage received at a corresponding media player at which it isdelivered is communicated utilizing the connectivity assembly 30 to aselect one, group or all other media players and/or remote computerprocessor(s) 18.

Although an audio only message may be provided whereby an audio messageis communicated utilizing the normal audio facilities associated withmedia player, in a preferred embodiment wherein the media playercommunicates the media selection to a user utilizing an associatemonitor 16, a communication shell 60, as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4 ispreferably provided. Specifically, the communication shell 60 isincluded and associated with the delivery of one or more messages to acorresponding user of a specific media player. In the illustratedembodiment the communication shell 60 includes a messaging display 62which may be defined as a segregated or select area of the monitor 16via which messaging communication is achieved. For example, thecommunication shell 60 may define a template area that overlies theappropriate media display section of the monitor 16, and/or may providea segregated area of the monitor 16 for containment of the messagingdisplay 62. Furthermore, if desired, the communication shell 60 may bedefined so as to reserve an area of the monitor 16 display for whenmessaging communication is desired, however, remain substantially orgenerally un-obtrusive when messaging communication is not taking place.Also, appropriate movement and/or re-positioning of the messagingdisplay may also be provided.

Looking first to the embodiment of FIG. 3, the messaging display 62 mayinclude a select area wherein a text message 63 may be viewed. Thisviewing of the text message 63 may be in the context of viewing areceived message or of typing and/or entering in a text message by auser of the corresponding media player utilizing the messaging interfaceand then subsequently accepting the written text message 63 foreffective communication to one or more other users. Alternately,however, the messaging display 62 of the communication shell 60 mayinclude a video display 63′ as in FIG. 4. The video display 63′ ispreferably utilized for video communication between the respective userssuch that users at various different locations utilizing different mediaplayers can see one another and can interact in a more face to face typemanner. In such an embodiment, preferably an audio component will alsobe provided, such as a microphone which may be associated with a videocamera or be distinct therefrom. Of course, if desired text messagingcan be integrated with the video display 63′, as well as other featuresincluding the use of special effects and/or animations so as to enhancea video representation of the user and/or to actually define the videorepresentation of the user in cases where the users do not wish to bevideo taped. Accordingly, in such an embodiment person at remotelocations, such as a grandparent and grandchild in different parts ofthe country can effectively watch a media selection together and cab seeone another watching the media selection and interact with one anotheras desired.

Looking further to the communication shell 60 associated with themessaging assembly 40, it is also preferred that promotional materialsbe deliverable utilizing the communication shell 60. In particular, thepromotion materials 64, which may be included within the messagingdisplay 62 and/or may be separated therefrom, are provided to a user whois viewing the media selection via the monitor 16 of the present system.Of course, the promotional material 64 can be any type of materials,whether associated with the specific media selection or whethercompletely separate therefrom and merely provided as a source of incomerelative to the facilitation of the connectivity between remote users.Furthermore, the promotional materials 64 may be tailored to specificusers, if desired, or may be customized to change depending on thesituation and/or the circumstance, or in accordance with the portionand/or section of the media selection being provided to the user.Additionally, if desired, the promotional material 64 may themselvesdefine an interactive link which may be effectively selected by a user,such as utilizing a pointer control, so as to provide additionalinformation regarding the promotional material 64 being displayed and/orby saving information for later viewing and/or later access.

In addition to or instead of providing one or more promotional materials64 as interactive links, it is also recognized that interactive linksmay be effectively provided within the messaging display 62 for variousother purposes as well. For example, users may wish to communicateinteractive links to associated computer website(s) or additionalinformation and/or interactive links may be provided as selectable userresponses to a query that may be presented between users or fromoperators of the master control assembly. For example, it may bedesirable to poll users so as to get opinions regarding the mediaselection, as in the case of a premier or product presentation, or itmay be desirable to provide a quiz to users, such as for aninstructional use in the context of a test or in an entertainment aspectfor purposes of winning prizes and/or for pure entertainment value. As aresult, the communication shell 60 provides an interactive area withinwhich the users can effectively interact while still effectivelyexperiencing the media selection on the monitor 16 and other appropriatemedia medium. Furthermore, the programming for the messaging assembly40, including the communication shell 60, is preferably integrated intothe media players 15, 15′ themselves and as a result any media selectionmay be effectively utilized. Indeed, although as indicated it ispreferred that the same media selection be simultaneously viewed on eachof the various media players so as to provide a group type experience,it is also understood that the messaging facilities and communicativefacilities in the present disclosure may also be effectively utilizedeven when different media selections are being played on eachcorresponding media player.

Finally, in order to effectively delivered the media selection to allusers in a simultaneous, synchronized fashion, synchronization data ispreferably communicated at least to the master control assembly. Thissynchronization data may include a location designator associated withthe media selection, such as a time code and/or track number of themedia selection which identifies effectively what in the specific mediaselection is being displayed. Likewise, the synchronization data mayinclude a title of a media selection and/or any other information thatmay be periodically polled and/or provided on a one time basis at thecommencement of the programming.

Since many modifications, variations and changes in detail can be madeto the described preferred embodiment of the disclosure, it is intendedthat all matters in the foregoing description and shown in theaccompanying drawings be interpreted as illustrative and not in alimiting sense. Thus, the scope of the disclosure should be determinedby the appended claims and their legal equivalents. Furthermore, it isalso recognized that a majority of the programming required to definethe assemblies of the media player of the present system can bepre-programmed into the player's processor, encoded onto a chip orsimilar storage device for introduction into the player, or may beloaded per use or permanently onto the processor of a player, such asfrom a local or remote storage device.

What is claimed is:
 1. A controller device comprising: a messaginginterface that establishes a communicative link at least between twomedia players structured to selectively deliver a media selection to oneor more users from one of at least two portable media storage devices,wherein each of the portable media storage devices includes an identicalversion of the media selection in the portable media storage devices;and a controller that receives synchronization data of the mediaselection from each of the media players, wherein the controlleruniformly synchronizes delivery of the media selection by controllingeach of the media players based on polled and received synchronizationdata to cause each of the media players to simultaneously deliverspecific points of the media selection, and wherein the controllercommunicates, to a central authority, an identifier of the mediaselection to verify that the media players are using an authorized copyof the media selection and enables media players that are using anauthorized copy of the media selection to participate in a system, andwherein the controller facilitates communication to and between themedia players while the media selection is being delivered.
 2. Thecontroller device of claim 1, wherein each of the media players includea control assembly structured to selectively control and regulatedelivery of the media selection to the user.
 3. The controller device ofclaim 1, wherein the synchronization data includes a location designatorassociated the media selection.
 4. The controller device of claim 1,wherein the controller is disposed in a server that is remotely locatedfrom the plurality of media players.
 5. The controller device of claim1, wherein the controller facilitates message communication to andbetween the plurality of media players.
 6. A method comprising:establishing a communicative link at least between at least two mediaplayers having an identical version of a media selection, wherein thecommunicative link is structured to selectively deliver the mediaselection via one of the at least two media players; receivingsynchronization data of the media selection from each of the mediaplayers at commencement of communication of the media selection;communicating, to a central authority, an identifier of the mediaselection to verify that the media players are using an authorized copyof the media selection; enabling media players that are using anauthorized copy of the media selection to participate in a system;controlling each of the media players based on polled and receivedsynchronization data to cause each of the media players tosimultaneously deliver specific points of the media selection; andfacilitating communication to and between the media players while themedia selection is being delivered.
 7. The method of claim 6, whereineach of the media players include a control assembly structured toselectively control and regulate delivery of the media selection to auser.
 8. The method of claim 6, wherein the synchronization dataincludes a location designator associated the media selection.
 9. Themethod of claim 6, further comprising periodically polling each of theplurality of media players during communication of the media selectionto receive further synchronization data from each of the plurality ofmedia players.
 10. A non-transitory computer-readable medium havinginstructions stored thereon that, in response to execution by acomputer-based system, cause the computer-based system to performoperations comprising: establishing a communicative link between two ofthe at least two media players having an identical version of a mediaselection, wherein the communicative link is structured to selectivelydeliver the media selection via one of the at least two media players;receiving synchronization data of the media selection from each of themedia players at commencement of communication of the media selection;communicating, to a central authority, an identifier of the mediaselection to verify that the media players are using an authorized copyof the media selection; enabling media players that are using anauthorized copy of the media selection to participate in the system;controlling each of the media players based on polled and receivedsynchronization data to cause each of the media players tosimultaneously deliver specific points of the media selection; andfacilitating communication to and between the media players while themedia selection is being delivered.
 11. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein each of the media playersinclude a control assembly structured to selectively control andregulate delivery of the media selection to a user.
 12. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein thesynchronization data includes a location designator associated the mediaselection.
 13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10,wherein the operations further comprise periodically polling each of theplurality of media players during communication of the media selectionto receive further synchronization data from each of the plurality ofmedia players.
 14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim10, wherein the media selection includes an audio message.